Page 4 of A Fool For Her Mates

“Of course, thank you!” I wave and head for the registers. My guys follow without a word, like my own personal (deranged) entourage.

Chapter 4: H’Row

Fancy hands us the battery in a bag. Heavenly stars above! She is the answer to our prayers. She looks like she expects us to leave. V’Lin tugs on my shoulder as if to pull me away. But no. I believe Fancy is the one. The one! When you meet one of your mates, the other third of your heart, do you say goodbye? You do not. You do everything in your power to keep her by your side. To please her. To make her yours.

I tell this to V’Lin, but he sighs and runs a hand over his eyes. I can feel his frustration, his fear.

“We cannot take a human with us back home. We must leave her here,” he says as we stand in the doorway of the palace. The humans are giving us curious looks as we argue. But I am not concerned with them right now.

“But she is our mate. Our third. I can feel it. Can you not feel it, too?” I grab his shoulder and look into his eyes.

“I do feel it. But it’s impossible. She is a human. Her kind is not yet part of the Galactic Federation. It would be a major violation of the law to take her. Even if she is willing.”

“I’ll make sure she is willing.” I’m sure that V’Lin can see the hunger in my expression because he rolls his eyes. “And she will fit easily onto the ship. Since when do you care about the law?”

“Since I do not wish to spend the rest of my life in prison. This is different from our usual infractions.” V’Lin grumbles and pulls me further from the large sliding doors.

“Unless it goes undetected.” I say quietly.

“I’m pretty sure we’ve already been spotted. Look at us, we stand out like rotten fruit.” He points at all the dull colored beings that surround us. It is true. We do stand out.

“Hmm.” I refuse to give up. “It does not matter. I will fetch her now.” I start moving in her direction, but V’Lin stops me.

“She is not an item you can simply store on the ship. She is a being with feelings. Do you know what humans eat? Or if they sleep? Perhaps humans like to kill their mates. We must be careful,” V’Lin says.

These are excellent points. But I still feel a tug in my gut that tells me to grab Fancy.

“We can be careful after she is ours,” I grumble.

“No. We must be careful now. We must get to know her before we take her aboard our ship.”

“So, we’re taking her with us?” I smile.

“Ah, H’Row, you are single-minded. We can consider it, I suppose. But we should not rush. She could be a bigger danger than we realize. Or maybe the people of this palace need her to survive. Do not act rashly, H’Row. We must study the human before we consider bringing her aboard. It’s very likely she will not want to go.”

“We will be good mates for her. We can show her. I’m sure she will want to come with us.” I feel the truth of it deep in my soul.

“Well, until she is sure you will wait. Remember, there is no ‘me’ in ‘three.’”

I’m about to argue more when I see V’Lin’s eyes narrow at the door. I turn and see it too. Three humans in matching black suits marching towards the sliding doors. Everything about them screams danger. From their tense expressions to the weapons holstered to their sides. V’Lin and I are instantly on alert, scanning the building for a safe escape. It may already be too late. There are probably other black suits around the back and any other exits from this palace. We need Fancy’s help again. And this time it’s going to be much harder to explain why.

Chapter 5: Fancy

Unbelievably, it feels sad to say goodbye to V’Lin and H’Row. I mean, it’s not often two hot delusional men in body paint throw themselves at your mercy. I thought I’d be relieved when they left…but seeing them arguing with each other in front of the doors… well; it makes me want to give them a good scolding, tell them to be careful, and you know, take them home with me.

But wait, they’re not leaving. They’re speed walking towards me with urgent faces. I can’t imagine what’s got them riled up and then I see the black-suited men outside heading for the entrance. Oh shit. My guys must be in some kind of trouble. I hate trouble. So why am I rushing towards them instead of away?

“What’s happening?” I say breathlessly as soon as they reach me.

“I believe we’ve been discovered. Or at least the trail of our transportation unit. We’re not supposed to be here. Could you help us escape?” V’Lin asks. Something pulls in my chest. It’s fear—fear for the safety of V’Lin and H’Row,

“Come with me,” I say before I can analyze this strange compulsion to protect them. They follow me close as I wind my way towards the back of the store. Someone must have alerted our manager, Rick, that trouble is on its way because he’s jogging towards the front with sweat dripping down his face.

I mentally map all the dead zones in the store’s security cameras, along with all the exits. If anyone is checking, they’ll be sure to cover the employee entrance and loading dock. But there’s also trash and recycling area that they might not notice.

“I think we should lie low for a bit—” I begin.

“Then escape through the back,” H’Row finishes. I smile back at him quickly.

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